These Old-School Holiday Cookies Make Black Pepper The Star

There's an unassuming type of cookie that belongs in your lineup of holiday treats this year, a cookie with a classic look and a dazzling taste. They are soft and dense, and at first glance, you might just think they're dollops of gingerbread, dusted with powdered sugar. There is a little, peppery surprise hidden inside these cookies, though. They aren't made from your average gingerbread; they're a spicy sort of ginger snap with undertones of black licorice and a hint of cloves. These are German pfeffernüsse cookies built on black pepper, with spices like nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon, and touches of molasses and honey.

In German, pfeffernüsse means "peppernut", an appropriate name for a cookie that garnered its reputation from the good amount of black pepper dusted into the dough. They can be made a few different ways, with the optional inclusion of allspice, star anise, and the star of Scandinavian baking, cardamom. Other optional ingredients included candied orange or lemon peel, but they should always contain enough black pepper to set a spicy tone. Most often, you'll see them coated with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar, but sometimes they're frosted with a powdered sugar glaze and garnished with crushed pink peppercorns for an extra festive touch.

Spicy-sweet pfeffernüsse cookies date all the way back to Germany in the 1750s, and their origin story is fairly vague. German confectioner Johann Fleischmann is credited with inventing these cookies, but there isn't much more information about the story. He lived in the town of Offenbach am Main (Hesse), and the cookies became a near-instant sensation, both locally and in surrounding areas. They became popular for the holidays by 1850, especially in areas like Denmark, and that popularity spread to America with European immigrants, specifically German Mennonites who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1800s.

With the flavors of mulled wine wrapped up in cookie form, it's no wonder pfeffernüsse cookies became so popular. They pair well with coffee and tea, and they're small enough that you don't feel guilty about pairing a few with warm drinks in the morning. Their size is also a great benefit for filling in any awkward gaps on holiday cookie trays, adding splashes of white to offset the rest of your cookie creations.